


i know it's been years but it's always been you

by itisjosh



Category: Dreamwastaken, GeorgeNotFound - Fandom
Genre: (;, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Animal Transformation, Anxiety, Attempted Murder, Best Friends, Blood Pacts, Cats, Character Death, Curses, Demon Hunters, Demons, Demons suck, Depression, Everything is fucked, Fog, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Good Demons, Heavy Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Memory Loss, Missing Persons, Murder, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Only for a bit tho, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Presumed Dead, Self-Defense, Somewhere around there, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Time Skips, Transformation, Unrequited Love, Victim Blaming, a lot of deals w demons, baphomet - Freeform, basically dream dies and then he not dies, but not really, but there are a few good demons, fog is an important tag you'll understand later, hehehe...baphomet, i swear there's fluff and shit even though there's a lot of bad tags, it's a bastard demon the fucker needed to be gone, man i've got a lot of tags lmao have fun going through all of them, not really blood pacts but kind of blood pacts, not really demon hunters but they try, technically it isn't self defense but who cares, there are A LOT of really shitty demons, there's only 1 but i figured i'd mention it, theres a different narrator each chapter, they're 14-16 at first, theyre just dumb, vaguely demon hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25796371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: After an accident in a cave when they were younger, Dream goes missing. No sight of him, nothing. The only other person who knows what happened in that cave is his close friend, George.But life moves on, although George hasn't. After years of dwelling on what happened, he finally gets a sign - and a second chance.As for Dream, George isn't the only one who gets a second chance.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound, dreamnotfound - Relationship
Comments: 36
Kudos: 193





	1. if you wanna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "C'mon George!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha what up i hate myself  
> anyways some clarification: i'm using their nicknames/youtube names instead of their real names lmao george might call dream clay or smth but real names aren't gonna show up that much. minus george ffs

"C'mon, George!" Dream laughs, sprinting through the forest, turning his head to watch for his friend. He hadn't actually expected George to want to hang out with him, especially after _last_ time they hung out. Last time, Dream had asked him out, and George..was really, really not that into it. That had shattered their friendship entirely, but now, now things are actually looking up, and things seem to be going right back to normal, with the two of them laughing and chilling. "You're so slow!" Dream laughs, stopping when George _slide_ tackles him, hitting his shins with his feet. "It's that the highest part of me you can reach?" He asks, watching as George punches him in the shoulder. It stings for a second, but George didn't really hit him hard, and the pain dulls almost immediately after. 

"You're such an idiot," he scoffs, probably rolling his eyes. Dream can't quite see his eyes under his goggles. To be fair, George can't really see his face with his mask on. "Does that answer your question?" He gives him a light shove, but Dream sees his stupid smile. It's..it's nice, to just be able to hang out with him again. Dream isn't quite over him, he isn't sure he'll ever be, but it's still really nice to just hang out as friends. It doesn't even feel awkward or anything, it just feels normal. Dream's really thankful about that - he isn't sure what he'd be able to do without George in his life. The past few months were way too hard, what, with avoiding each other and being forced into group projects together..god, it was so fucking awkward. But now, it feels real again, and Dream's so happy that it does. "What did you even want to show me?" George interrupts his thoughts, goggles sliding down his nose a bit, just enough that Dream can see his eyes. 

"Well," he starts, grinning. "I thought we could go explore this cool cave I found back here. It probably doesn't even go very far, but it's an adventure, right?" 

George snorts, digging in his pocket for a second, pulling out his phone. "Yeah, sure. Let me just type up my will real fast-" Dream sighs, dramatically. 

"You're so annoying," Dream teases, nudging his friend with his shoulder. "Keep that out, though. Flashlight. I forgot mine at home." George's eyebrows lower, and Dream can definitely see him glaring, even if it's hidden by the stupid goggles. He can't really speak on that, though - his mask is stupid, too. It's just some stupid, blank mask with a smiley face on it. He never understood why he felt like he needed to wear it, but he feels a lot more comfortable with it on. Dream's pretty sure that's why George wears the goggles, too. He wouldn't judge him on that, he..he likes the goggles. He likes _George_.

"You didn't bring your phone." Dream laughs, shaking his head.

"No. I knew you'd bring yours." George sighs, arms crossed as he taps his foot. 

"You're _such_ an idiot," he sighs again, pushing his goggles back up to his eyes. "You're ridiculous. Whatever. If we get murdered, I'm not saving you," George tells him. Dream just laughs again, not really expecting anything else. "Where's the cave?"

"I'm so glad you asked," he grins, starting to walk. "It's just a little bit up ahead. I don't think it's that far, but it's been a little bit since I've been there. I don't come out here that much." He hesitates, cutting himself off before he can finish his sentence. He stopped coming out here after George stopped wanting to see him. They had spent a lot of time out here, just them, and being alone with the memories..Dream didn't really like it. He never really wanted to come back, but once George asked if they could hang out again, he kind of just.. _knew_ that he should bring them back. A fresh start, he thinks. Maybe this is just something they can do together, to forget everything that happened before today. Everything that Dream screwed up.

"Yeah," George seems to pick up on what Dream's thinking, because he _always_ manages to do that. "Well, hurry up," he kicks at his feet, a stupid grin plastered on his face. "We're never gonna get there if you just stand around." Dream wheezes, rolling his eyes. He starts to move, figuring that George is following. He knows the vague location of where the cave is, but it's been a little over three months since he's actually been there. And, to be fair, he freaked out really badly when he first found it, which he still doesn't know why. It's just a stupid cave, it probably just has some raccoon or something burrowed down there. It's not like bears live around here or anything, so there isn't much for either of them to worry about. 

"We're here," Dream announces, watching as George shines his phone's flashlight over the cave. "Wanna explore?" He grins, gesturing to the gaping hole in the earth. An uneasy feeling grips him hard, making it hard to breathe, but he ignores it, pushing it down. His anxiety can fuck off, he's supposed to be having fun right now. Dream doesn't plan on letting some stupid disorder make him call it quits. 

"Huh," George turns to face him, flashlight still on. "It looks like it goes down a long way." Dream rolls his eyes, giving his friend a nudge. The uneasy feeling fades a little bit more, and he completely ignores it, tuning it out entirely. It's probably nothing. Just some stupid nerves, or whatever.

"Only one way to fight out, right?" He grins. "Come on, George. It'll be fun. If we fall or something, you've got your phone. We'll be fine." Dream wraps his arm around George, his head resting on the other's. George slaps his hand, shoving himself away from him.

"You're such an idiot," he laughs, though, and Dream grins even more, his stomach swooping for a second. "Fine, whatever. Let's go explore." And so they do, shoving each other as they laugh, stumbling down the cave, tripping over loose rocks and almost killing themselves every time they do. George's flashlight only helps so much, and neither of them are that intent on looking below them. Dream gasps, skidding to a halt, grabbing George by his shoulders, just so he doesn't fucking _die_. 

"Dude," Dream stares down at the _abyss_ , his eyes narrowing. "That seems..spooky." He snorts, leaning back on his heels a bit, carefully making sure that George isn't too close to the drop.

George scoffs. "I doubt it's that deep," he shines his flashlight over it, and..oh. Dream backs up a bit, taking George with him. "Oh. Oh, okay, fuck. That's..that's not good."

"It's fine," Dream assures him, patting his back. "Your phone's flashlight sucks ass, it's probably like, two feet. Oh, sorry," he grins. "I mean, seven feet. If we're considering your height." George punches him in the shoulder, and Dream just laughs, feeling a lot better than he had a few seconds ago.

"You're such an idiot," George mutters, crossing his arms. "Here," he sets his phone down, angling it do it points down to the lower level of the cave. "Wanna go down it?"

"Oh, fuck yeah," Dream grins. "Stay up here, just in case I die or whatever," he laughs. He shifts a bit, feeling his legs already hanging off of the edge of the cave. He can't quite reach it, but..if he moves just a little.."Shit!" Dream shouts, clawing at the stone, not able to get a grip, and oh fuck he's going to die-

"Dream!" George shouts back, the sheer loudness echoing around them. He feels hands over his own, and stares up at George, meeting his eyes. "Ho- holy shit, are you..are you okay?" He breathes out. "I'm gonna pull you up, alright?" Dream breathes out, the air catching in his throat, burning his lungs. He can feel the dust settle around them, even though nothing even crashed or broke. 

"Yeah," Dream swallows. "Yeah, okay, yeah. That sounds good," he shudders out a gasp, hoping that George is strong enough to pull him up. "George, I..I'm not sure you can get me up." He closes his eyes for a second, blinking them open the next. He can't..George is strong, but he's not _that_ strong. Dream weighs way more than him, George can't..he can't pull him up. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"I can," Georges assures him. "I can, I swear. I'll bring you back up," Dream nods, squeezing George's hands a little harder, trying to find that stupid cave wall so he can put his feet there, so he can climb up it. He kicks out with his feet, feeling his hands slip. "Dream!" George screams, his cry echoing in Dream's ears. He feels himself slip, feels himself fall. He feels himself hit the ground, his head cracking when he does. He sees George's hand, reaching out for him, but he can't reach back, George is too far, he's too far, he's..he's too far. Dream can feel himself hit the ground again, jagged edges slamming into him as he tumbles, the smell of copper filling the air as he goes, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain numbs his body, shattering his bones. He thinks that he shouts or something, but he can't tell, he just hears that one word, echoing over and over and over again-

_"Dream!"_


	2. caroline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dream!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for context: the entirety of this chapter i listened to "i am very smart" & "schlatt walk" so do with that information as you will==

_"Dream!_

_Please, no, oh my god, please, Dream, please, please, no.._

_Dream!"_

George snaps awake, his eyes fluttering open. "Fuck," he mutters, closing his eyes again. He feels himself calm down a little, but not by much. He can see Dream's face, sees his hand reaching out, trying to grab his own. He _dropped_ his best friend, and..he _killed_ him. If he hadn't told Dream to go down that stupid fucking cave..he couldn't even see the bottom of it. He should have never, ever told him to do that. God, what the fuck is _wrong_ with him? George sits up, cradling his head in his hands, feeling sick. As soon as Dream fell, he tried his best to get down to him, to try and find him. He couldn't find a way down, he couldn't _get_ to him. George had just sat there, crying, calling out for his friend, trying to hear anything from him. But as soon as Dream slipped, he knew. George knew that he was gone, that he was dead. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew, he knew that it was his fault, too. George wishes that he told Dream that he was in love with him, or something like that. When Dream told him that _he_ was in love with him, George..he wasn't ready. Dream was too good for him, too perfect and too good of a person. George didn't think he could ever love Dream as much as Dream loved him, but..he did. He did, and forcing himself away from him was so, so hard. It was awful, pretending he hated him. It was easier to pretend than to tell him he loved him back. " _Fuck_."

He rolls out of his stupid mattress on the ground, pushing himself up. He looks at his goggles on his nightstand, feeling a pang of agony wash over him. He reaches out, hesitating for a second. George picks them up, placing them on top of his head, making sure they'll stay there. He hasn't been able to actually wear them since that night. He's barely been able to even pick them up, but it..it helps, sometimes. It helps him remember the good parts of that night. There aren't very many that aren't overshadowed by Dream's death, but the least he can do is try. He throws on a shirt and some sweats, forcing himself to get out of here. He never leaves his apartment anymore, and he can't just..he won't let himself kill himself by being in here all the time. Being in here is just as bad as being in that cave. 

No, George sighs. Nothing is as bad as being in that cave. Nothing is as bad as watching his best friend die, and it's all his fucking fault because he couldn't hold on, because he wasn't strong enough to pull him back up. Because he wasn't smart enough to tell Dream that he shouldn't have gone down that far. George closes his eyes, feeling his goggles slip down a little. He shoves them back up to his head, refusing to let them even touch his face. He can't, he..he just won't do that. It'll remind him too much of what happened, and then he'll have to stay inside and pretend like it was him who died that night. If he could switch places..George would. He'd rather have died that night rather than have Dream die. Dream was always going to be more successful, more important. George was just a side character to him, he couldn't compare, and that was okay. He didn't have to compare, he was fine just being second. He was fine being second because of who was first. And Dream would never act like he _was_ second, he never treated George like he wasn't as good as him. He sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets, staring out his window. He can see people walking around, cars moving and definitely going over the speed limit. They always do, and it isn't like he cares. It's not his problem. He doesn't care. He doesn't care about much anymore, except for that night. What else is there to really give a shit about? He _killed_ his best friend, and now he gets to live with it. He deserves it, it's his fault. George sighs, closing his eyes for a few seconds. Okay. He needs to get out of his stupid apartment, being here _sucks_. 

He grabs his phone, shoving it in his pocket as he starts to walk, grabbing his keys when he passes his kitchen table. George locks his door before closing it, but he doesn't really worry about someone breaking in or anything. It's not like he has much to steal, anyways. Just a cheap mattress, a couple of candles, and a bit of food in the fridge. Nothing worth picking a lock over. He sighs, quietly going down the few flights of stairs he has to deal with. "Morning, George." He glances over at his landlord, a _very_ tall man named Wilbur.

"Hey." He smiles at him, trying to not look like a piece of shit.

"Wait," Wilbur takes a step towards him. "George, don't pay rent this month." George blinks, eyebrows raised. 

"What? Why?"

Wilbur rolls his eyes. "You're unemployed," he holds up a finger, "you don't pay it anyways," he holds up another finger. "And, I figured I might as well tell you so you don't worry about getting kicked out. I know what it's like to not hold a job," he smiles, a little more gently than he had been. "Just be careful, alright? Stay here as long as you need. I can get you hooked up with a couple of people who always need people." George blinks again, but he nods.

"I..thanks. Thank you." Wilbur shrugs, smiling like he always does. He always smiles.

"It's not much of an issue. It isn't like you're ruining my economy," he grins. "I'll let you head out now, sorry if I interrupted anything important."

"You didn't." George tells him, quickly removing himself from the situation, escaping out the front door. He breathes out as soon as he gets out of the apartment complex, not even realising he had been holding it in. "Fuck," he sighs, closing his eyes for a second. It's been way too long since he's even talked to his landlord. He doesn't really like to be around him. Not even because Wilbur is a bitch or anything, he just..he reminds George of Dream, in some weird, fucked way. He sighs again, starting to walk. He spots the graveyard, feeling his heart stop for a few seconds. He starts to move towards it, oddly attracted to it. George left his home the day Dream died. He didn't say anything to anyone, he just..he left. He couldn't stand to be there. He isn't sure if Dream ever got a funeral, if he was buried or cremated. His body was never found anyways, but..maybe as something sentimental. Sentiment never really mattered to George, and it still doesn't. He walks towards the graveyard, planning to just walk around, say hi to the names on the gravestones. It's the least he can do, and death has really shown George that people are forgotten very, very easily. No one should ever be forgotten, even if he doesn't know them. Dream was forgotten, even by half of the kids in their high school. Which is bullshit, because Dream was _so_ fucking important. He played football and soccer, was a star student in literally everything. Being forgotten wasn't something that was supposed to happen, at least, not to _Dream_. George keeps walking, moving past the graveyard. He pauses for a second, turning his head to the left. What the fuck? He turns completely, frowning at the crowd across from him. He starts to walk towards them, brushing past people in his way. It might be rush hour, but not a lot of people take this route. The hell? No..it isn't.

George stares ahead of him, spotting him. _Him_. "Dream," He breathes out, heart slamming into his chest. He has his stupid fucking mask, and the same hoodie, and the same haircut, and, and..he has everything. It's _him_. "Dream!" George shouts, running directly at him, hand extended, reaching outward, and-


	3. why did you run?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dream..wake up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh fun fact this entire fic is based entirely off of the fact my drawing tablet is broken and i can't draw shit rn. it was supposed to be an amv but that's not gonna happen anymore lmao  
> first chapter is based off of "if you want to" paris youth foundation, "caroline" netherfriends, and this one is "why did you run" judah and the lion. i'll tell you guys what the next ones will be called when they're up! :D

_"Dream..wake up."_

Dream blinks, crying out when he feels pain wash over him, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck!" He shouts, burying his face in his hands. 

_"Oh, I'm sorry,"_ a voice tells him, echoing all around him. _"Here. You're okay, now."_ Dream feels the pain go away, feels it go out of his body. He forces himself to sit up, pushing himself back against a wall. A wall? He frowns, reaching up, but..where's his mask? He can't see anything, everything is so dark, and..where _is_ he? He doesn't understand. Where the hell is he? Where's George? What..what happened?

"Where..where am I?' The voice laughs, low and dark.

 _"With me. Don't worry, you won't be with me for long. I don't plan on keeping you down here for much longer,"_ Dream frowns, feeling chills go down his spine. He doesn't want to be here. He can't be here, not with whatever's here with him. _"I don't have a name, but you can call me Hemlock, if that makes you feel better. It's always nice to connect a name to a voice, right?"_ Hemlock chitters, his voice sounding like a hundred centipedes climbing all over him, skittering around him, burrowing in his hair. _"You're dead, Dream."_

"No.." Dream frowns. "I think I'm alive."

 _"Clever,"_ Hemlock giggles. _"I suppose you are, technically. You're welcome, by the way. Oh, I have a proposition for you. Lose your memories and live, or I'm going to eat you alive,"_ he giggles again, voice hitching in a high-pitched squeal. _"I think I know what you'll choose, but I wish you'd choose the second one. You look like a fun snack."_ Dream breathes out, his heart slamming in his chest. What..what the _fuck_? 

"I..I don't want to die."

 _"Well, just say so then!"_ Hemlock chitters, louder this time. _"Tell me you want to forget and live. Tell me, or I'll kill you. Do it, Dream. Do it,"_ Hemlock sings, his voice getting so loud, too loud. _"Come on, Dream. Come on!"_

"Fuck!" Dream shouts, digging his fingers into his head. "I want to forget! I want to..I want to live!" He sobs, shaking his head when he says it.

 _"Okay,"_ Hemlock sighs. _"Okay. I guess you really do mean it, huh? You want to forget George? You want to forget him, Dream? You love him. Oh,"_ he giggles. _"He loves you, too. Oh, oops, shouldn't have said that. Well, I'll send you back now. Have fun, Dream! I'll see you later!"_ Hemlock promises, and Dream feels himself fade away, his eyes closing against his will, sinking into the abyss once and for all. 

* * *

"You _know,_ " Dream sighs. "I could totally get a good job."

"Whatever, dude," Sapnap laughs, rolling his eyes. "You can't even get out of bed half the time. Dream, you're depressed," his voice drops into something more serious. "We need to get you on meds."

" _No_ ," Dream protests. "I am _just_ fine, Snapmap." Sapnap glares at him, arms crossed.

"Hi, my name is Dream, and I am a bitch," Sapnap deepens his voice, probably mocking him. No, Dream sighs, he's _definitely_ mocking him. "Seriously, dude. I'm starting to get really, really worried. You know that, right?"

Dream sighs, closing his eyes. "Okay. _Okay_ , whatever. I'll go to a doctor later. Your doctor. What's his name?" Sapnap shrugs. 

"No clue. Something generic like, John, or something. And thank you, seriously. It'll make me feel better. _And_ you. That's the whole point of meds, right?" Sapnap grins, leaning back on his bed. Dream still can't really remember how he got to Sapnap's place, and he doesn't..he doesn't really really remember Sapnap, actually. He doesn't remember a lot of things. He was told his name, age, what he did in school, who he was, but he doesn't remember that. All he knows is that he has a mask he wore a lot when he was younger, and that was the only belonging on him. Sapnap told him the mask is in the bottom drawer of the nightstand, but he's never decided to open it. Dream closes his eyes, feeling more exposed than he had been a few seconds ago. Maybe he should. It was the _only_ thing he was found with, and it probably still fits. "Dream?"

"Sorry," he shakes his head, Sapnap's voice pulling him out of his thoughts. "I'll see your doctor. Promise."

Sapnap grins so wide, Dream's surprised he doesn't break his fucking face. "Thank you! Seriously, thank you so much. It'll make us both feel better. I'll drive you there, and if you want me to sit with you or whatever, I will. Or I'll stay in the car and like, watch porn or something." Dream snorts, punching him in the shoulder. 

" _Gross_ ," he laughs, rolling his eyes. "You're disgusting. I'm so disappointed in you." Sapnap grins even more, launching himself up, pressing himself against Dream so their shoulders are touching. 

"You love me and you _know_ it," he laughs, ruffling Dream's hair. "Man, I'm still pissed that you're tall." Dream rolls his eyes. 

"Good genetics, what can I say," he grins, flexing a little. "Tiny."

Sapnap glares at him. "Fuck yourself, big man. I'm average, if not _above average_ , height, thank you very much. Have fun with your vertebrae collapsing inwards on themselves. I'd know, I'm a doctor." Dream wheezes, standing up off of the bed. Sapnap's been letting him stay in his room, while he takes the couch. Dream..Dream's glad that Sapnap took him in, even if Dream didn't remember him. It never seemed to bother Sapnap anyways, and he always said that he understood, and that Dream couldn't help it if he had amnesia or whatever. Apparently they were really good friends, and Dream had known him since they were around seven or eight. He still feels bad he can't even remember a friend from that long ago, but..he guesses that's just how amnesia works. Or memory loss, or something like that.

"Okay, whatever. You're short and you know it. You just like to pretend that you're not. You should go call your doctor for me," Sapnap sighs, but he rolls off of the bed, brushing down his pants. "Thank you, tiny."

"Fuck you." He sighs again, but Dream can see him smiling, watching as he disappears out of the room, phone in hand, dialing. He looks down at the nightstand, his heart stopping for a second. He wants to wear it. He wants to put it on, to see..to see if that brings something back. Well, he snorts. That's not how amnesia works, but the least he can do is try. That's all he can really do anymore, is just..he just has to try. Maybe taking that step to get himself on meds, to see a doctor..maybe that's good. Maybe he's finally working out his life, or something. Dream stands up, kneeling down in front of the nightstand. He breathes in, opening the bottom drawer.

"Okay." He sighs, reaching out to grab the mask. It..it has a smiley face on it. He wheezes at the lines, how they're all fucked and look like shit. He turns it over, seeing the little strap he can wrap around his head, around his ears. He holds it up, shuddering a bit, chills going down his spine. He moves it closer to his face, sliding it on his head, and..

" _Dream_!" His eyes open faster than they ever have before, his heart pounding in his chest, his entire body screaming, burning, breaking. He looks up, and he sees a man, a young adult, staring back at him, hand outstretched, reaching out for him. He feels himself hit the ground, feels his head slam into a rock, feels his back hit a boulder. _"Dream!_ " The man screams again, fading from his vision. Dream scrambles back, throwing the mask off of his face, breathing rapidly, pulling his legs up to his chest. What the fuck? What..what the fuck? Who was that? Where was he? What the hell happened to him? Dream pauses, staring at the mask on the ground, the stupid smiley face staring back at him. He reaches out, hands shaking, but he manages to pick it up. He slides it back on his face, and..

"You're such an idiot," the boy who yelled his name, the young man, tells him. He looks..so happy. He looks happy. What..what happened? Why did..Dream doesn't understand. How can the person in front of him look so happy now? This had to have been before he..before he fell? Did he fall? Dream doesn't know, everything feels so..weird. He doesn't understand, he doesn't get it. He has no idea, and he hates it so, so much. "Yeah, I'll come with you. What time?" 

"I'll text you."

"Okay," the man smiles, looking so..pretty. "I'll see you then."

"Yeah," Dream hears himself smile. He can just..tell. "You will."

He reaches up, slowly pulling his mask down to his chest. What the _fuck._ "Hey, Sapnap?" He calls out. "I have a couple of questions."

* * *

"Okay, thanks." Dream hangs up, pinching his temples. Fuck's sake. _No_ one knows the man from his memories. No one has any fucking idea of who he is. Dream's given the best description he could, but the man was wearing goggles, and "brown hair, blue shirt" doesn't really help all that much. Even Sapnap didn't know who he was talking about. So..he moved. He didn't _want_ to, but he needs to find whoever that man was. And going to a bigger town might be his best option, considering how no one in _his_ town knows who the hell the guy is. It's not like he has much of a choice. Well..he _does_ , but he just..he has to find him. Dream doesn't know why, but he just feels _connected_ to whoever he is. He knows that man is important to him in some way, but he isn't sure in _what_ way. He's been keeping the mask on a lot more often recently, just to remember. 

He hasn't figured out much. He knows that he fell into a cave, or that he slipped, or something. He thinks that he might have died, but then he..didn't die? He isn't sure, it's all so..blurry. Everything is fuzzy, and a lot of it doesn't make sense at all. None of it really makes sense, but he has to figure it out. He _will_ figure it out, it..it'll just take time. He knows that, but Dream isn't going to just let his past escape him. He won't fucking let that happen, not know that he can remember. He glances over at the boxes thrown out on Sapnap's floor, stacked unevenly, piled on top of each other in ridiculous looking towers. "Hey, Snapmap!" Dream shouts, grinning when he hears his friend groan. 

"Dude, _fuck_ you!" Sapnap shouts back. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'm going out for a bit. After that, I think I'll um..I think I'll be going, okay?" There's a long period of silence, before he looks up, spotting Sapnap leaning against the door.

"Already?" He frowns, eyes looking a lot sadder than Dream's seen them before. "Dream, you were starting to get a lot better. You shouldn't just..uproot your life right now, right after things are getting good for you. You've got a job, you were gonna get an apartment here, what..what changed?"

"You know what changed," Dream sighs. "You know what changed, Sapnap. Don't act like you don't." 

Sapnap sighs, breathing out. "Yeah, I..I guess I do. I'll drive you to your new apartment, okay? Just so you don't have to pay for a bus or a moving van. Just shove your shit in my trunk and I'll take you there. It's only like, thirty minutes away, right?" Dream smiles, feeling his heart stutter for a second. God, Sapnap's always been such a good friend to him. He doesn't..he really, really doesn't want to leave. But something's pulling him to, something's _telling_ him to. 

"Yeah," he stands up off of the bed, placing a hand on Sapnap's shoulder. "I swear, once I find what I'm looking for, I'll come back, okay? I just..I need to."

"I know," Sapnap sighs again. "It's okay. I'm just worried. You don't even.." he rolls his eyes. "You don't even know your social security number. Or my phone number. Or your own phone number. You don't have a credit or debit card, no information about who you are at all, other than what I can say for you. And vouching only gets you so far.." he trails off, shaking his head. "Seriously, though. Memorize my phone number. That way if anything happens, you can call me. I know I'm in your contacts, but if you don't have your phone on you..you need to know, okay, Dream?"

Dream smiles, nodding his head. "Yeah, okay. I love you, Sapnap."

"I love you too, man," Sapnap smiles. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure yet," he admits. "Somewhere. I know the direction that it's in, but I..I remember something. I just have to find it."

"Okay," Sapnap dips his head. "I'll just chill out here until you come back. I'll see you soon, man. Be careful." Dream grins, slipping on his mask, pushing up his hoodie. 

"I always am." And with that, he walks past Sapnap, leaving the apartment complex they have, disappearing out of town. Admittedly, he isn't really sure where he's going. He knows the general location, he's seen a cave in the woods enough to get a good idea of where it might be, but he's still not sure. He knows there's a forest around this town _somewhere_ , but he hasn't really left Sapnap's apartment that much. Only to go to his job and sometimes go to the store with his friend, but other than that..he's mostly just stayed inside. It's a lot easier to remember when he's alone. He spots trees up ahead, past one of the less busy roads. He smiles a little, recognising a few of the trees. Dream shoves his hands in his pockets, jogging across the street, pushing into the forest. Everything goes a lot quieter as soon as he gets in there, and he shivers a little, goosebumps rising on his arms and neck. Weird. 

_"Dream."_ Dream snaps his head towards the sound, trying to figure out who the hell said his name. What the fuck? 

"What?" He murmurs, pausing in the middle of the forest, eyes closed. "Hello?" He asks, a little louder this time.

 _"Oh!"_ The voice gasps, giggling right after. _"You do hear me! That's so nice. That's so nice! Hi, Dream! Hello! I know you don't know me anymore, but that's okay! Keep going right ahead. I'm right in front of you! When you get to the cave, you'll see me! It's been so long, hasn't it?"_ The voice chitters, feeling like..centipedes. Dream gags, feeling like he's about to fucking vomit. What the..what the _hell_? He pauses, quietly backing up out of the forest. _"Don't you dare,"_ the voice gets so much deeper, echoing in his head, thrumming loudly, pulsing against his skull. _"Come on, Dream. You know better than that, don't you? I know you want to know_ his _name, don't you? I'll tell you, promise! Just come see me, Dream. It's been so long."_ The voice tells him, sounding wistful. The..the thing said he'd tell him the man's name. He _needs_ to know that name.

"Who are you?" 

_"I'm so happy you asked! I love sharing names! Now, if I told you my real one, your ears would start bleeding and your internal organs would turn into fire ants! So just call me Hemlock! We're best friends, I swear."_

Hemlock? Best friends. Dream feels his throat seize up, his stomach lurching. He might not remember shit, but he _knows_ that isn't true. He knows it's not, he just..does. Hemlock sounds so disgusting, he sounds awful. His voice is too high pitched and raspy at the same time. It makes him feel like he's gonna be sick, like he's going to _die_. "Okay," he breathes out. "Okay," he starts to walk, following the sound of chittering and giggling. Dream knows that this is a fucking terrible idea, but it isn't like he plans on _going_ anywhere with that..thing. He feels his heart start to hammer, feels his eyes watering. His entire body is suddenly _so_ weak, it hurts to walk _so_ badly, and..no. No, no, no, he can't do this. He can't. He wants to know that name, he needs to know his name, but he can't do it. Not like this, not..not if it means he dies. Again? Not if he dies again. "I..I'm gonna go." He chokes out, his throat swelling up. He barely can breathe, his vision going dark and blurry, and.. _no!_ He shakes his head, wheezing, coughing as much as he can to clear his throat. He sees the cave right in front of him, and he sees a man. The man is pitch black, no eyes. No facial structure. Other than a huge grin with too many teeth and a jaw that goes too far back. There's too many limbs, _way_ too many limbs, a tail, horns, wings. The man is so foggy and dark, looking like he's smeared across the world, blurry and smudged. Dream can't make out any important features, he's just..he's too blurry. He drops his gaze, staring at the floor, his head feeling better as soon as he does that, his stomach feeling a lot better. He doesn't feel like he's going to die as badly as he had a few minutes ago. 

_"Oh, Dream. That's rude, that really, really hurts my feelings,"_ Hemlock's voice is so loud, so grainy. It encloses all around him, pressure pushing against his chest, drawing him to his knees. _"You don't want to know his name? Really? Are you sure? You're positive? He still remembers your name, you know. Everyone remembers your name, Dream. Everyone loves you. It's really a shame you fucked it up so bad,"_ Hemlock laughs, long and low. His voice is so much deeper than it had been before. _"You really did fuck it up. You fucked up everything. You did such a shit job of just hanging on. But I'm glad you fucked it all, I really, really am. That means I just get to play with you for a little bit longer, Dream. I always thought you'd make such a fun snack."_

Dream shoots up to his feet, stumbling back, refusing to look at Hemlock. He can't, he won't. He won't fucking..he won't let that happen, not again. "Fuck..fuck you," he gasps, feeling his chest clear up a little. It's easier to breathe now. He backs up, eyes squeezed shut, going the way he came. "I'm not listening to you."

 _"So much willpower,"_ Hemlock sighs. _"That's okay. I know you'll come back. You know it too, don't you? Don't you, Dream? I know you will. I know it, I know it! We'll have such a good time when you come to see me again. Oh, we really, really will. I'll finally get to find out what you taste like. I'll see you soon, Dream! Promise!"_ Hemlock shrieks, voice echoing all around him, ringing in his ears. Dream feels like his blood is boiling, he feels like his bones are individually breaking, like he's..like he's dying. _No_. He opens his eyes, running from the forest, running out of the forest, running right past the road, right back into Sapnap's apartment. He doesn't even know how long it's been, how long he's been running, but as soon as he stumbles into that door, back home, he collapses, eyes firmly pressed shut, Hemlock's voice echoing in his head.

* * *

"Remember, be careful."

"I'm _always_ careful, dude," Dream laughs. "Okay, I gotta go. rush hour's coming up I think. A lot of important looking people might beat me up if I talk too loud." Sapnap snorts.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I see what you're trying to do, trying to get rid of me, huh? Weirdo." 

"Not a weirdo, but totally what I'm trying to do. And succeeding at. Love you, bye!"

"Fuck you!" Sapnap laughs. "Bye!" Dream hangs up, shoving his phone in his pocket. He sighs, running a hand down his face, down his mask. After that night in the woods, he hasn't taken it off. He refuses to, he just..he won't. It helps him remember the man's face, and he's been getting more and more memories after he talked to..Hemlock. He shudders at the name, feeling sick from just _thinking_ about it. Fuck, he hates him so much. He couldn't tell Sapnap what happened, because he..it isn't because he wouldn't have believed him. But Dream just couldn't bring himself to do it, to drag his friend into his own problems. Let alone some sort of fucking supernatural problem, or whatever. Whatever Hemlock _is_ , he's definitely not human. He can't be, there's absolutely no way. Dream refuses to believe it. The way he looked, the way he talked and acted..there's no way he's a human. He couldn't be, and Dream knows that. He sighs again, staring ahead of him. The group of people in front of him have mostly cleared out, disappearing to go off on their own paths, go to their high-end jobs, or whatever. Ever since he moved, he hasn't been able to settle on a job, or even keep one. He isn't sure why, but he just..can't. He knows that Sapnap would hook him up with something, but he just doesn't want to rely on people for the rest of his life. He has to do things on his own, too. He can't just leech off of everyone else. 

Whatever, he sighs, walking down the sidewalk. He counts the tiles underneath his feet, walking past one of the graveyards in this town. He hasn't been in it quite yet, but he might poke around a bit, look around. See what's there. He doubts there's anything, but after Hemlock..being around a place where people died..it feels like there might be something there. Something he could find, look into, whatever. He looks back up, shaking his head, clearing his thoughts of that. He just needs to stop _thinking_ about Hemlock in general, but it's hard, it really, really is. Especially after all the _shit_ he said. Whatever, Dream shakes his head again, whatever. He should just focus on walking, just focus on finding his new apartment complex. Sapnap told him he set him up in a really nice complex, where the landlord's a really nice, really sweet guy named..Will, or something like that. 

" _Dream_!" He hears a man _scream_ , pausing in the middle of the sidewalk. What the hell? That voice sounds so familiar, so..it can't be. He stares ahead, seeing a man with dark brown hair, a blue shirt, and goggles on his head charging towards him, arm extended, arm outstretched. Just like..just like the man he's been looking for for so long now. "Dream!" The man calls out again, and Dream reaches out this time, grinning, feeling happier than ever. God, holy shit, he did it. He found him, he found him!

He found him.


	4. strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh my god, Dream, you.." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "strangers" - wingtip  
> also holy shit i'm tired. went to the hospital yesterday and they fucking stabbed me like 8 times trying to find a vein to draw blood from/shove an iv in. i was dehydrated and my veins are already difficult to find but jesus christ man ouch dude. then after one nurse stabbed me three times, she called another nurse who squeezed my arm, said "oh cool", and then proceeded to stick a vein first try, draw all the blood they needed, and just left. like what the fuck you couldn't have given me her 7 sticks ago??? bro.

Dream collides head on with the man, wrapping his arms around him. He feels the man bury his head in his shoulder, squeezing him so hard he thinks his ribs might actually break. Holy shit, he's stronger than he looks, okay. "Oh my god, Dream, you.." 

"I've seen you so much," Dream tries to pull away, but the man won't let him. "I..I'm so sorry, I don't know your name or anything, but I..I know _you_. I've been seeing your face everywhere I've gone, no matter what. Who..what's your name? I need to know."

The man pulls back, but his arms are still wrapped around Dream's waist. "I..I'm George," he beams, goggles slipping down to his nose. "I'm George." He laughs, breathing out. He's..oh, oh, he's crying. 

"I guess you already know me," Dream laughs, pulling him closer. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Seriously, I didn't mean to." George shakes his head, laughing a little bit more. 

"It's okay. They're happy tears."

"I hope so," he smiles, feeling his entire body shake. God, this is so important and he doesn't even know why, but it just..it feels _so good_. "I, um, I don't remember a lot. I know my name, and when I put this stupid mask back on, I..I knew you. I didn't know anything about you, I just knew _you_. And I.." he sighs. "I hunted you down? Please don't file a restraining order, I swear it wasn't stalking. I just-"

"You're _such_ an idiot," George laughs, giving him a playful shove. The words echo in his head, making his heart feel so much lighter, his stomach swooping. God, he..George feels _so_ important. "I..I'm so happy to see you. I can't believe you..I can't believe you're here. Dream.." George closes his eyes, grinning. "I.."

"I have a lot of questions. I really..I want to know who you are," Dream sighs, leaning back on his heels. "I don't remember anything. Well, not much. I just want to understand."

George nods, closing his eyes. "Okay. Of course, I get that. You've always been curious. Way too curious," his voice breaks at that, and Dream frowns. He reaches out, squeezing George's shoulder. "No offense, or anything, or um, not to alarm you, but you're supposed to be dead."

"Yeah," Dream agrees. "I kind of figured that one out." George laughs, rolling his eyes. 

"Okay, weirdo. Um, your name is Dream. Obviously. We were really, really good friends," he sighs. "We hung out a lot, and we mostly went to the forest in your backyard. And then we found a cave." He stumbles through the words, and Dream wraps an arm around his shoulders. 

"Let's walk?" He offers. "It might help."

"You're.." George smiles. "You're such an idiot," but he starts to move, letting Dream guide him into the cemetery. "You died that night. I..I asked if you wanted to go deeper down a cave we had found, and you said yes because you're a stupid adrenaline junkie, and I..I couldn't hold on. I let you fall." Dream nods, the pieces in his head clicking together, suddenly making sense. George screaming his name, falling, the agony, George reaching out for him..it makes sense. 

"Okay," he breathes out. "So that's what happened. I remember falling, I saw you, reaching out for me, and then it was just..really dark, I guess?" He offers. "I don't remember a lot of my life, but once I put this mask on..I saw you." 

George smiles, eyes closed. "You only saw me?"

"Yeah," Dream smiles back. "It was always only you. I never saw anyone else. It was just..us, hanging out places. Um, I think..I think I was brought back to life by a demon."

"A..what?"

"Yeah," he agrees, sighing. "I know. It sounds really stupid, and it probably is, but I..there's this voice," he explains. "His name is Hemlock, or that..that's what he goes by. He's huge, blurry, pitch black.." he blinks, shuddering. He can still see him, and even though he sees him only in his head, it still makes him sick. "He's um, he's really not good. He tried to kill me. Eat me? I think he's a cannibal, I'm not really sure. He lured me back to the cave, uh..he promised me he'd tell me your name. But then he threatened to eat me alive, and I figured I could probably just find you on my own." George stares at him for a few seconds before he laughs, sighing right after. 

"Only you, Dream. Only you. Here, I..I live close by. Just in a really shitty apartment, but it's a place to stay. It's a place to talk, you know?"

"Yeah," he beams, reaching up to pull off his mask. "I don't really..I don't really need to wear that anymore. I know who you are now," he pauses, "George." 

George stops walking, and Dream feels his heart slam into his chest. "I..it's been a long time since you've said my name," he grins, tears still falling down his face. "I..god, you _always_ manage to do.. _this_! How are you so good with words when you just fucking died?" Dream wheezes, shoving his mask in his hoodie pocket. 

"I didn't _just_ die," he grins. "I think it was a few years back? Something like that. I'm also pretty sure I made a deal with the demon."

"You're such an idiot."

"Yeah," he agrees. "A bit. I'm not sure, but I think I did. I wonder if there are like..demon hunters." George laughs, tossing his head back.

"Demon hunters?"

"Well, there's demons," Dream holds up a hand. "So demon hunters would make _sense,_ " he holds up his other hand. "I mean, I don't..there could be angels? Angel hunters? Things are fucked, dude."

"Yeah," George laughs again, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, moving to face Dream. "I..seriously. I..I'm in a lot of shock right now. I'm not entirely processing everything right now, but um, I'm really, really happy that you're here. I..I thought you were gone forever, and I wasn't really..I wasn't in a good place. I'm so glad you're alive. And not dead. Um, thank you, for um, being you and making deals with demons and shit. It's such a you thing to do." Dream smiles, pulling George in for a hug. 

"I don't think I'd change it. I'm really happy to also be alive. I'm sorry I.." he pauses. "I'm really sorry I scared you. And made you think that I was dead. If I knew your name, or where you were, or fucking..fucking _anything_ about you, I would have tried to find you sooner. No one could tell me anything, because I couldn't..I couldn't really give a proper description, you know. Goggles, blue shirt, brown hair.." he trails off. "No one could give me anything." 

George nods. "I guess I'm not that promident." 

"No," Dream disagrees. "I didn't get a lot of good looks at you. But I do now, and you.." what, he's really pretty? George _is_ really pretty, but he can't just _say_ that. They're..they're like strangers, now. It'd be weird if Dream just started fucking flirting with him. "There's a lot more to you than just goggles," he teases. "I just wasn't able to see you clearly," he sighs. "But now that I do..you're really..I could describe you a lot better now." George blinks at him, and Dream swears he sees him blushing.

"Oh, thank..thanks."

"No problem," Dream grins. "So..how far's the apartment?"

* * *

_"Hi. I'm..I'm George."_

_"I'm Dream!" Dream grins, shoving his mask back on his face properly. "You have a funny voice."_

_"Oh," George blinks. "I, um..I'm not from..from here."_

_"Oh, okay. Where are you from?"_

_"It's a place called, um, England."_

_Dream nods, reaching into his hoodie pocket. "Here," he pulls out some goggles Sapnap got him for Christmas. They're way too big for his face, but maybe they'll fit George. "We should hang out sometime," he beams when George takes the goggles, sliding them up on his face. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I think your voice is cool."_

_"You didn't," George smiles. "Thank..thank you. I really like them." Dream grins._

_"I'm glad! Come on, why don't you talk to my mom? We can probably get you all set up and stuff, I've been at this school for my whole life! We can totally get in the same classes and stuff! Promise!" George laughs, nodding, the goggles sliding down his face a bit._

_"Okay, thank you, Dream."_

_"No problem, George!"_

* * *

Dream sighs, closing his eyes as he leans back against George's mattress. "Since I'm all alive and well," he starts, "can you take care of yourself? I'm gonna buy you a bedframe and a proper mattress, you shouldn't be sleeping like this. I'm surprised you don't have back problems."

"It's not _that_ bad," George mumbles. "It was all I needed."

" _No_ ," Dream disagrees. "This is _not_ self-care."

"Dream, you're being dramatic-"

"Not when it comes to you, dude," he sighs. "Really. I don't care what you think right now, you need a better bed. And food. What the fuck, George. I get it," Dream closes his eyes. "You were upset and blamed yourself, but-"

"I didn't!" George protests. "I was..I didn't have a job."

"George," Dream stands up, forcibly dragging George into a hug. "I love you. Please don't hurt yourself anymore, okay? I'm here now. You don't need to blame yourself."

"Dream.." 

"Don't _Dream_ me," he laughs, reaching up and ruffling his friend's hair. "Say it back."

"Say what back?" George laughs, giving him a little shove. Thank god he's feeling better at least.

"That you love me."

"I.." George rolls his eyes. "I don't need to say it out loud. You should know that I do." 

Dream frowns. "But I like hearing it." 

"Well, um," George looks away, ducking his head. "I love you too," he murmurs. Dream grins at him, pulling him closer for another hug. "I really do."

* * *

_"Say it back!"_

_"No!"_

_"Why not?" Dream asks. "Why won't you say it back?"_

_"I don't have to!" George protests. "It's not like you don't know I do or anything. I don't have to tell you it all the time, just because you're whiny!"_

_Dream pauses, stumbling in his tracks. "I..I'm not whiny. I just like to hear it. From..from a good friend. I..sorry." George sighs, turning his head away._

_"Well, I do..I love you," he mumbles. "I do. I..I love you, Dream." Dream grins, bouncing on his toes a little._

_"I love you too, George," he laughs, racing to catch up with his friend. "That's all you had to say, and then I would've left you alone."_

_George rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. Dream can tell. "Okay, okay. I'm just..not used to that. I can try a lot harder for you. I like you."_

_"But do you love me?" George laughs, punching Dream in the arm._

_"You're pushing it, idiot."_

* * *

"Hello.."

"Dream," he introduces himself, staring up a bit at George's landlord. At their landlord. He's trying his best to get as much information about the place they're living in as possible. It's only been an hour to two, but he wants to try to get used to being here. "You're..Wilbur, right?" 

Wilbur grins, looking way too warm and homely to be a landlord. "Yes," he pauses. "Oh, good morning, Schlatt." 

"What's poppin'?" The man, Schlatt, waves a hand, not looking up from his phone. Dream raises an eyebrow at him, staring a little too long. He's decked out in business clothes, suit and all, briefcase hanging in the hand with the phone. What the fuck, how can he..how does he _do_ that? Wait. Dream stares at him, narrowing his eyes. Is that..a blur around him? It reminds him of Hemlock, but..different. "Oh, shit," Schlatt laughs, setting his briefcase down next to Wilbur. "Hi." He stares at Dream.

"Hi." 

"You..huh, okay," he leans back on his heels. Schlatt grins, and Dream watches as his jaw moves too far back for a human. "It's nice to meet you, Dream."

"You're a demon." 

Wilbur blinks, glancing in between Schlatt and Dream. "Demons don't exist," he smiles. "Schlatt's just a corrupt businessman like the rest of us," he beams, shoving his beanie up, his hair tumbling past it. "So, you'll be moving in with George?"

"For now, yeah." Dream narrows his eyes, carefully watching Schlatt. He isn't human, there's no _way_ he's a human. Wilbur has to notice it, too. How could he not? The way his jaw goes so far back, his grin has too many teeth, the blur around him, how he looks smudged..he's a demon. He's like Hemlock. 

"Lovely," Wilbur leans forwards, holding out a spare key. "I've already told him that he doesn't have to pay rent this much. I know he was struggling with something, but he never really confided in me or anything. Until he gets better, I'm not going to push anything. I know how hard it can be, you know?" Dream stares at Wilbur now, _so_ confused. How can someone as nice and caring as Wilbur be friends with a fucking _demon_? How can he not realise he's friends with a _demon_? What the hell? 

"Yeah.." he pauses, swallowing past a lump in his throat. "Yeah, I get that. Well, I..I should get going. It was nice to meet you." 

"You too, Dream." 

"Yeah," Schlatt grins, leaning on Wilbur's shoulder, perched on one leg. "Great to meet you, Dream." 

* * *

_"George, I..I need to tell you something."_

_George blinks, looking up. "Yeah, what's up?" Dream feels his stomach drop, feels himself blush. God, George is so pretty. Fuck, okay._

_"I..I'm in love with you." George laughs, rolls his eyes._

_"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."_

_"No, you don't understand," Dream shakes his head. "I..I'm in love with you. Like, I really, really like you. Love in the..not in the friend way."_

_George stares at him, mouth hanging open slightly. "What? No, that's not..I'm not..no. No, what the hell, Dream?" He laughs, shaking his head. "What, it's not even April Fool's day or whatever, don't joke about that." He rolls his eyes again, standing up._

_"I'm not, George, what the hell? I'm not joking." George pauses, blinking a little too rapidly._

_"You..Dream. Listen, I..I don't..I'm not..I don't want that. I'm not in love with you," he backs up, hands held up in front of him. "No."_

_"George-"_

_"Don't." George shakes his head, backing off faster than Dream can even prepare for. He disappears, and Dream's left there, standing alone and crushed._

_"Fuck."_

* * *

Dream sighs, patting George on the head. "Hey, George?"

"Yeah, what's up?" He looks up, goggles sliding back onto his face. "You look serious."

"Thank you," Dream laughs. "I..I want to go back to our old town. To the forest. Something's wrong, and I..I want to get rid of Hemlock."

"Well," George breathes out. "Okay. Yeah, that's normal now," he shakes his head, shoving his goggles up to his head. "I'll go with you. Of course I'll go with you," he laughs. "I don't know what else I'd do. I wouldn't..I think I'm attached to you now, Dream. Seriously. I don't know if I can be far away from you, like, really. It's fucking weird. I'm such an idiot."

"You are," Dream agrees. "But that's okay, so am I. Uh..I didn't think you'd say yes," he wheezes. "Thank you. I'm gonna call a friend of mine, to just..check in and see if he can help. I know he'll say yes, but it's better to plan beforehand, you know?"

"Who?" 

"Sapnap," Dream waves a hand, pulling out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. "I'm not sure if you knew him. My memory's coming back, but not..really, I guess. It's fucking spotty, it's stupid." 

George laughs. "Oh my god, Sapiticus Napiticus," he grins, goggles sliding down his face again. "The three of us were really, really good friends. Wait..he couldn't fucking get my name from _goggles_? What the fuck, I'm having words with him when we meet. I'm beating him up." Dream wheezes, hearing his phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Snapmap! Hi! So, I found him. George? Yeah, George. Our George, yeah. Alright, we're all caught up. Now that I've got your attention and all that, I..I um, I've got a question," he breathes out. "Wanna help us fight a demon?"


	5. sweet tooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wilbur, this is bullshit." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this bad boy chapter might not seem important, but it really is (; enjoy schlatt and wilbur bickering for 10 minutes about global warming and climate change  
> oh yeah, "sweet tooth" - scott helman  
> ALSO: schlatts/wilburs relationship here is all platonic. they're best friends here and are really close, they're platonic soulmates

"Wilbur, this is bullshit," Schlatt sighs. "How the hell did he find out? Was he like, possessed by a demon or whatever? One of those lower class pieces of shit? That's.." Schlatt groans, throwing his head back. "This is ridiculous." Wilbur nods, quietly agreeing with his demon. It _is_ fucking weird, especially since Dream _just_ showed up in town. He's never seen or talked to Schlatt before tonight, and to just be able to tell..Wilbur shakes his head, closing his eyes. 

"I don't know, Schlatt. Probably. That's the only way it'd work, right? If he had been around a lower demon, even being just..touched by one would let him see you, right?" He frowns. Wilbur knows a bit about demons, ever since Schlatt ended up saving his life. It's been a year or two now, and Wilbur's tried his best to learn about demonic culture, especially the higher demons, which is what his demon is. "I'm not sure. Am I right?"

"Sort of," Schlatt waves a hand, and Wilbur watches as his horns slowly start to form, his face turning into more of a snout. "God, this is as bad as fucking...climate change, or whatever." Wilbur tilts his head back, laughing a little harder than he has in a long time. Of course his demon would say something so..stupid. As smart as Schlatt is, and as _clever_ as he is, he always manages to overlook human struggles. Though it might just be an act. Schlatt is..definitely not an entirely stable or truthful demon, which is alright. Wilbur wouldn't expect his demon to be at all. Well, he doesn't expect any demon to be trustworthy, but his demon especially. He's spent thousands of years hiding in plain sight, making a name for himself and then throwing it all away, turning into a completely different person. This time around, it's Schlatt. Almost ten thousand years ago, it was Baphomet. Well, it still _is_ Baphomet. Schlatt has always been Baphomet, but recently it's just been Schlatt. His demon doesn't really go by other names, and he isn't a big fan of being called Baphomet. It just has bad memories connected to it, which Wilbur understands. If his demon wants to be called something else, he'll call his demon that. It doesn't bother him. 

"Climate change is real, Schlatt," Wilbur laughs, ruffling his hair, sliding his beanie back. "Just because you don't understand human-"

"I understand perfectly fine!" Schlatt interrupts, rolling his eyes. "I'm fucking great at human, thank you. I've been human for thousands of years. I'm just kind of old. You wanna know what they used to call me?"

"Steel-toe? Blades? Bladez, but with a 'z'? Ladder Man? Prince? Doctor Shakey Jones?" Wilbur offers. "Or was it Beyblade? Swiss? Swatter? Joe-"

"Stop it _right_ now," Schlatt groans, flipping Wilbur off. "You're fucking stupid. No, they called me Human," he rolls his eyes again. "Just like they do now. Though, they _did_ used to call me Blazez, with the 'z'. Do they still call you air-con? Do you even have air-con?"

Wilbur sighs. Of course his stupid demon would bring that up. He always does, whenever he gets the chance. Dumbass. "Of course I have _air conditioning_ ," he rolls his eyes. "I'm not dying of heatstroke, Schlatt. Do you even know when _air-con_ was invented? Where you there?"

"No, fuck you," Schlatt scoffs. "I don't pay attention to human drama that I don't care about." 

"Question," Wilbur leans forwards. "Why'd you save my life?" 

Schlatt blinks, and Wilbur watches as he slowly de-transforms, his horns disappearing, face turning back to normal. And there he is, there's his demon. There's his disguise. His demon who refuses to shave his stupid _mutton chops_ , or whatever the hell they're called. He's way too scruffy to even come off as human, which Wilbur's been trying to tell him for _months_ now. But his demon doesn't listen to his concerns about his disguises, which he _should_. Wilbur hasn't been wrong very often. "Well, you were going to die," Schlatt shrugs, dismissive. "And you seemed important, or whatever. What, do you want me to confess my undying love? Lock lips or something? You just seemed important or whatever," he waves a hand. "It's not that big of a deal." Wilbur smiles, ducking his head. 

"Schlatt."

"Wilbur." 

"Just tell me," he presses. "Come on. Do you really think I'll..mock you? Are you afraid that I'll find out that you're secretly in love with me?" He leans forwards, grinning. "Don't be such a pussy, Schlatt." 

"I'm no pussy," his demon puffs out his chest. "I'm not secretly in love with you. I don't even like you," Schlatt rolls his eyes. "I'm not into you, Wilbur. You disgust me. I'm just here because you formed a pact with me."

"It wasn't even a pact," Wilbur reminds him. "You saved my life, and then you wouldn't leave me the fuck alone."

"No," Schlatt disagrees. " _You_ wouldn't leave _me_ the fuck alone," he shakes his head. "No, I was just contracted by the higher ups to deal with your bullshittery. You make everything so much more difficult for me."

Wilbur smiles, shaking his head. "I'm sure I do, Schlatt. I'm sure that's exactly why you saved my life."

"Wasn't by choice," his demon grumbles. "You were young, I didn't.."

"I was twenty-one," Wilbur reminds him. "You might be _ancient_ , but I'm not. I'm an adult."

"A really shitty one," Schlatt tells him. "Wilbur, you're shit at being an adult. You were a ragged, run down teenager when I first met you." 

"So you've been stalking me for forever?"

Schlatt glares at him. "Shut the fuck up, Scoot. You had your life fucked from the very beginning. I was your best imaginary friend, remember? Mr. Joe Rogan?" He grins, teeth a bit to pointy for Wilbur's taste. Schlatt does that on purpose, Wilbur knows it. "I just..okay, fine, whatever. I took an interest, okay? It was a business maneuver. I saw that you were gonna be, I don't know, important. Something like that," Wilbur raises an eyebrow, staring him down. Schlatt sighs, defeated. "And you were cute."

"Were?"

"Yeah. You lost your charm when you started talking."

"Thanks. You were cute until you grew horns and a goat face."

"Thank you," Schlatt grins. "I'm very happy you think I'm cute."

"My pretty princess," Wilbur teases. "Love you too, Schlatt."

" _Never_ call me that again," his demon glares at him. "You disgust me."

Wilbur grins. "You don't like being my pretty princess?"

"I'm going to literally send you to hell. I have the ability to do that. I'm old, Wilbur Scoot, I can do that." 

"Call me Scoot _one_ more time," he holds up a finger, glaring, "and I will beat your ass. Does holy water work? You should tell me about how I can smite you. That's what lovers do. That's what pretty princesses do." Schlatt glares at him, horns coming back. 

"This is exactly why I tell you nothing. Anyways," he sighs. "You fuckin' derailed everything. Back to Dream. His friend doesn't know."

"He's definitely told him," Wilbur shakes his head. His demon, as observant as he is, is also a fucking idiot. "They're close. It would be stupid to keep a secret like that from your friend. Best friend. Lover. Boyfriend. Husband. Etcetera. I wouldn't keep a secret from you like that. And you wouldn't keep something like that away from me. Years of bonding and trust, you know? He has a demon problem, he told his friend. He told George."

"You know his name?"

"Of course I do," Wilbur scoffs. "I know all my tenants' names. I'm a good landlord, unlike _you._ His name is George, and he was convinced that his best friend died around..four, five years ago. Didn't you read the article I sent you?"

Schlatt pauses, tapping his chin. "I don't read anything you send me."

"Not even the love letters?"

"Especially not the love letters," Schlatt agrees. "Okay, seriously. Seriously. That guy has a..you saw it, right? The fog around him? Around his arms, legs, around his neck, above his head, around his head? You noticed it, right? You should have."

"I did," Wilbur confirms. "Was that a Marking? Was it the same thing you did to me?" Schlatt nods. Wilbur can't help but look down at his arms, seeing the glowing lines running down them, twisting in patterns and circles. His demon did that, created those lines to keep him living. It was a pact, a Marking. Whenever a demon takes interest in you, they Mark you in some way, to show you off. Demons are possessive of their humans, even if they plan on destroying them later. Schlatt's Marks aren't anything special, Wilbur notes. Just common, light grey lines trailing his arms, glowing, creating little runes and patterns. He isn't sure what the patterns mean quite yet, but he's sure Schlatt'll tell him eventually. He always does, just in his own time. 

"It was, yeah," Schlatt tells him. "Except I didn't go all out, fucking..fucking flashy bullshit. That makes it too obvious for you to pass along as someone who hasn't had contact with a demon. Whatever demon touched him..that thing really, really wanted people to know that he's Marked and off limits. He probably can't see 'em yet, or maybe he just doesn't notice them. I'm still surprised you can see yours."

"You didn't exactly try to hide it from me," Wilbur snorts. "But I understand what you mean. Do you think we should track them? Keep an eye on him and George?"

"Do you care enough to?" 

Wilbur shrugs, turning to look away from his demon. "I wouldn't mind. I know it was hard to adapt for me, and I wasn't being used by a demon who wanted me dead." Schlatt sighs, long and low. 

"Yeah, I get it. Demons are scary. Especially when they want you dead," he pauses, staring off somewhere. Wilbur isn't all that bothered by it, he's gotten used to it. His demon can see concepts and shapes and times that he can't, and that's okay. "Okay, okay. I'll keep an eye on them, track 'em as best as I can. Don't worry, Scoot, I've got you covered."

"Thank you, my pretty princess," Wilbur grins. "Do you have to go back to pretending to be a corrupt businessman tonight, or can you tell me more about demonic culture? I don't think I'll be betraying you anytime soon. It's been too long. You've grown on me."

"Aww."

"Like a cancer." He adds.

Schlatt scoffs, rolling his eyes, his face going back to normal, horns disappearing. Extra limbs, tails, and wings going with them. "And here I thought you'd be all sentimental. Admit your love for me."

"Not until you admit your own love for your favourite human," Wilbur tells his demon. "Come on, Schlatt. Let's go talk about culture." He smiles, turning away from his demon, waiting for him to follow. He hears footsteps behind him, smiling a little more. His demon always follows, and Wilbur's happy that he does. Ever since that stupid day a few years back..hearing Schlatt behind him has definitely become a comfort. It's become a comfort to know that his best friend is always there with him, even if he can't always show exactly who he is. 

"I saved your life because you saved mine," Schlatt sighs. "You don't realise what you did, but you kept me from dying. The guy who was gonna stab me had that fucking knife purified with holy water. Yeah, it's a thing. Yeah, it hurts. It burns a lot, and it's really, really painful to die to. So when he stabbed you, you.." Schlatt shakes his head. "I kind of just got pissed, you know? I don't like being in debt."

Wilbur smiles, stopping in his tracks. "I know. I didn't quite realise that I got stabbed."

"Yeah," Schlatt snorts. "I did that on purpose. Kinda fixed you up, numbed you down a little. Made sure you wouldn't bleed out. I'm the best doctor in the _world_ , Wilbur, I used to practice _bloodletting_. And you know just how effective that was? It was very effective." Wilbur rolls his eyes. 

"I'm sure you're right."

"I'm always right. You know what you are? Full of shit. Especially about climate change."

"Climate change.." Wilbur sighs. "You know what, you're right, Schlatt, I am full of shit," he sighs again, figuring it's easier to agree with his demon than protest against it. "Come on, you can tell me all about your devout bloodletting practices when we get back to the apartment."

Wilbur starts to walk again, his demon right next to him. Just as it should be.


End file.
